Courage
by LxiaNi
Summary: It all starts with a game of hide-and-seek. /oneshot c:


**.: **

_It all starts with a game of hide-and-seek._

__**:.**

o3o

It was years ago since it happened.

I was still a little Pokemon at the time, so nobody could really pin the blame on me. I was playing with my friends too. We wanted to play hide-and-seek, a game where one Pokemon tries to find the rest. My friend invited me to join them, and I did. My mom even encouraged me to do so.

Because you see, I am a coward. I don't try things too often; I always think that something was going to happen.

But that didn't really stop me from playing. Unfortunately, I was tagged 'it', so I would have to be the one to find all eight of them. The rules were simple. They could hide literally anywhere in the forest, and the first one to be found is 'it'. And they are such great hiders too.

So I started to count.

"Ten.." The eight Pokemon then smirked to themselves and scattered off towards the forest,

"Nine.."

"Eight.." Then they split up into two, heading into opposite directions,

"Seven.."

"Six.." About three had scampered towards the trees while the rest went deeper in,

"Five.."

"Four.." Three hid in bushes,

"Three.."

"Two.." The rest, hid somewhere only they could possibly know,

"One.."

I opened my eyes and turned around, heading south on instinct. Little did I know that it led to the rocky areas, not the trees and puddles that I've been sheltered all these years. I jumped on every rock and sneaked at every opening. Then I saw another Pokemon, one whose fur was white, its claws as dark as night. It looked at me with cold, merciless eyes, and then left to where I came from.

I didn't know what it meant; I shrugged the thought out of my mind.

With that, I went back north again, and this time, west.

I was surrounded by trees again, and many of them were very tall. Bird Pokemon were either flying about finding food, or tending to their children in the nests up above. Mushrooms here moved, and transferred from one place to another, and various others roamed happily. There I saw my playmate- and tagged her quickly before he could escaped.

"Ah! You found me Keldie!" She said, the grin on her face still as wide as ever. "I guess I'm it?" Then changed into a familiar smirk, "Or am I the ONLY one you've seen?"

I couldn't find myself to speak a word, making my friend snicker and brush her blue tail against my side. "Don't worry bud. I'll help you find 'em."

"Really?"

"I ain't Seeker Elfie for nuthin'" And so we set off, Elfie searching the east, and I remained here to find some others. Our search continued for about a few minutes, her finding our friends every often.

"Aww, Seeker Elfie's helping Keldie again!"

"Elfie! Make Keldie do it!"

"Keldie! You actua- Oh, hi Elfie.."

Even so, I still wonder just how Elfie does it. Even with just the fewest hints, she manages to find them. There was even one in the places I checked! Nothing could stop Elfie from finding the rest of our friends. However, one was still missing from the group (which were silently grumbling), the best hider, and the youngest of the group.

"Let's see... We found Griffon, Durpie, Caspii, Justin, Kenneth, and meee," Elfie said, checking the Pokemon sighted. "Ritsu's still hiding somewhere, I'll go-"

I cut her off there, "I'll find Ritsu. I am 'it', after all."

And so I went deep into the woods, where I presumed Ritsu's supposed to be.

I didn't expect to find humans, sitting around a flaming light on the ground. I also saw the very same Pokemon, which was caught in a net and heavily wounded. Being the coward that I was and still am, I ran for it. Unfortunately, one of the humans saw me.

"Hey! Bro, did you see that?"

"Hughn... See whaaat?.."

"Argh! Come on, let's go catch it! Our rivals in this war wouldn't stand a chance with that beast!"

I ran, and kept running. I left the Pokemon there, and ran towards home, not knowing that the humans were still on my trail. I sped up, my hooves carrying me as far as I could go on instinct. I ran so fast, I had thought I lost them.

I thought wrong.

I hid up in a tree, and saw the two humans camp out just outside our home, and make yet another one of those flaming lights. I saw them eat the walking mushroom like it was nothing. And the worst part...

...

They saw Elfie.

"Keldie! What are you doi-" She was instantly shut up by the faces of the humans, and readied her stance. She was going to fight them. "Humans.."

"Oh? Another one!" The guy said, grabbing a stick out of the ground and lighting it up with the flame as the other did the same. But they were too slow for dear Elfie. Before they knew it, Elfie was charging towards them, horn in front to act as her attack. It hit them square in the chest. "Ah! I knew it, those other Icirrus folks would be no match for something like this.." The other one muttered, using his bare fists to grab Elfie by her mane, and hurt her terribly.

In her struggling, she made him drop the flaming thing... and spread it to the whole Moor. It was so amazing, fascinating, yet at the same time... alarming. Due to this, I did the second most scumbag thing ever I've ever done in my life.. I ran away. The flame, however, wasn't helpful at all. It spread everywhere, and even got on Elfie's mane. The flame burnt her, and the others into ashes. And what did I do? I stood there, watching the whole thing right in front of me. Everyone... The moor... was burning in front of my eyes, and I couldn't do anything to save them.

Still, in that moment, I never dreamed my heroes would arrive. Like in an instant, I saw blurs of green, gray, and blue come after me, and take me away as quick as the wind. I didn't even have the time to cry. They just carried me off, as I watch the fire, and the war slowly distancing itself from me...

"What's your name?!"

"..."

"That's not how to treat a kid, stupid!"

"Yeah Cobalion, you should at least drop the voice lower."

"He DID have his whole place burnt from those humans after all."

"..."

"…Fine. What's your name, kid? We ain't gonna hurt you."

I was tempted to keep on staying silent. But with those other two that keep staring at me, I was eventually forced to say my name.

"K-keldeo..."

"Finally he said it! See Cobalion? A little kindness goes a long way."

"I'd still prefer crushing him."

"Stop it Terrakion you're scaring him."

"Oh like you're not scaring him!"

"..."

Time passed, and I actually became their apprentice. The student of the musketeers, Virizion, Terrakion, and the leader, Cobalion. A few days after that fateful event, I saw that there was a war that had been going on, and my place was burned due to it... That was what they had said, and that was what was on the news. Humans believed it to be their fault, as the war slowly faded to a ceasefire then did they realize the damages that they have done. Of course, even if there's temporary peace, nothing could stop the two legged creatures from blaming one another. That endless cycle continued, and people calling themselves Rangers came to protect the Moor (now ¾ swamp) from reckless humans. But, the fire…

I still know it was my fault.

The Pokemon I saw in the net could have still survived if I didn't run away.. and if I did that... Elfie could have still lived. The whole moor couldn't have been destroyed. Plus, I could have stopped them and at least somehow give the captured one a chance to escape. Sadly, I couldn't. I ran, TWICE!.. And they had to die... I'm… I'm a useless Pokemon. I don't deserve to become their apprentice, even if their techniques and strategies are helpful. It was time for me to run, once more.

All I hope is for Ritsu to have survived and is still well. That alone would ease me from my everlasting pain. And for that, I need to go, to run away.

Because I assured Elfie I'd find her.

With that, I disappeared from everybody's sights. I haven't shown my face to Cobalion, Virizion, nor Terrakion. Humans can't catch me now, and that's the plan. With my new abilities, I can seek Ritsu, and take her with me. I'm braver now.

This game of hide-and-seek isn't over just yet.

o3o

**A/N –**

_Well yes. This is all about Keldie (Keldeo being his real name), and how the great fire began in the moor. Did you know Absol comes to warn people of coming disaster? :3 Yeah. This is just a oneshot though, so I don't know if I'll still continue this with Keldie eventually finding Ritsu and stuff… that is, if Ritsu was even alive. Who knows~ _

_Um… If you did like the story/have some comments/questions/rants/etc. about it, would you please leave a review? ^^ It'd be really helpful. :3 Brutality in reviews is fine. xp _

_Thanks for reading~!_


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